I mentioned earlier that the first airplane flight in Texas was made by a Frenchman in Houston in 1910. That lead Traces of Texas reader Alan Parsons to send in photos of the first airplane MADE and flown in Texas. The Pliska Aeroplane was built in 1911 in Midland, Texas by John V. Pliska, a blacksmith, and Gray Coggin, a chauffeur and auto mechanic. Remarkably, the plane still exists. It was donated by the Pliska family in 1962 to the city of Odessa. It now hangs suspended above the baggage claim area in the Midland International Airport Terminal Building ----- and I think that is a pretty cool thing, indeed.. Here are photos of it in 1911 and as it is today. You can clearly see that it is, indeed, the same airplane. Thank you, Alan! Its great to know that the first plane ever built and flown in Texas is still extant and in a place where many can see it!
Posted on: Mon, 01 Sep 2014 03:15:58 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015